About

Understanding the gravitational interaction is one of the great scientific endeavors of the 21st century. The Nobel Prize-winning discovery of gravitational waves in 2015, and subsequent detections by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration, have marked a revolutionary step forward in physics and astrophysics by opening an entirely new window for exploring the Universe. Future upgrades to these detectors, along with upcoming facilities such as LISA and the Einstein Telescope, promise even more breakthrough discoveries that the next generation of scientists will need to interpret.

The School on Gravity (21–25 June 2027, Copenhagen) will introduce junior scientists—graduate students and advanced undergraduates with a background in general relativity—to a wide range of foundational topics in the exciting new field of gravitational wave physics. Topics will span from the theory of motion, to new challenges introduced by quantum physics, to the astrophysics of black holes and source modeling for gravitational-wave detectors.

The School on Gravity will take place in the legendary Auditorium A of the Niels Bohr Institute, inviting students and lecturers to challenge current paradigms in gravitational physics in the spirit of the quantum revolution that unfolded in this very room.

Nominal workload is around 70 hours, including preparation time. It should be equivalent to 2.5 ECTS.

Scientific Organizing Committee
Vitor Cardoso (Director of CoG), Emil Bjerrum-Bohr, Jose Ezquiaga, Troels Harmark, Niels Obers, Marta Orselli, Alessia Platania, Johan Samsing, Maarten van de Meent, Ziqi Yan.

Local Organizing Committee
Dogan Akpinar, Vitor Cardoso, Bertil Cold, Francesco Del Porro, Jose M. Ezquiaga, Christos Kristaki, Emily Kate Mansfield, Fanny Töpper, Guangzi Xu, Serdar Yildiz. Please contact us at this email.

Illustration and Design
Ana Carvalho

Acknowledgments
This edition of the School on Gravity has the generous support of the Villum Fonden, the Danish National Research Foundation and the Simons Foundation International through grant SFI-MPS-BH-00012593-01.


Our Mascots
Image of CoGU, the Center of Gravity's mascot

CoGu
CoGu is a mysterious black hole, wandering through the universe. CoGu's favourite spot is the Center of Gravity at the Niels Bohr Institute, where it enjoys smiling and pulling things. CoGu breaks all but one law: the law of gravity.

Magpie mascot frieze for CoG's School on Gravity

Magpies
When we first arrived at the Niels Bohr Institute, the magpies strutting around the building were a striking sight, and their big, mischievous, personalities impossible to ignore.

As animals go, they are truly extraordinary. They not only look smart. They are smart. They are quick to learn, excel at solving problems, have the ability to make and use tools and, when the occasion arise, they are good team workers. What better and inspiring companions to have and to cherish at a research institute?

And if they walk around looking like they own the place, it may very well be because they do in fact own it, and we are but guests in their territory.

Oh, and did we mention that they are unbelievably beautiful?